Rod & Custom Feature Car
Jon Chalberg
Zumbrota, Minnesota
1929 Ford Pickup
Owner contact info: jon.chalberg@charter.net
Chassis
A stock Model A frame was boxed and new crossmembers were installed to get the Super Bell tube axle and Pete & Jake's spring in the right spot up front and raised 2 inches in the rear to give the Ford 8-inch some more room to move with the Chassis Engineering triangulated 4-link. Jon built a steel frame to support the pickup box instead of using wood and added two 9-gallon saddle tanks hung outside the framerails to store the gas.
Drivetrain
The small-block Chevy 350 and Turbo 350 trans that came with the truck didn't need much. Jon upgraded the engine with a Comp Cams Pure Energy camshaft that once ran in his '52 Ford, a Holley intake with a Carter carb, and a Pertronix ignition. He found an old oil bath air cleaner and modified it to fit on the Carter carb. Jon had been working with a set of Mercury valve covers when he found the Lincoln ones and liked them better and they fit over the Chevy covers without much modification. A converted brass fire extinguisher is used to catch any coolant over-flow out of the Walker radiator.
Wheels & Tires
The Wheelsmith smoothie steelies (14x5s and 15x7s) are capped with `40 Ford pickup hubcaps and trim rings and wrapped in Firestone FR380 185/65R14s and A/S Radial Road Runner 235/75R15s. A set of Kelsey wires is on Jon's list of possible changes.
Body & Paint
Jon and his dad, Dave, tackled the body combining the best pieces from his two pickups. The gas tank filler was removed and the tank was welded to the cowl to remove the seam. The top of the two-piece Rootlieb hood was louvered, the firewall was recessed 4 inches and a custom rear roll pan was built with a recessed license plate and installed with rivets. `32 Ford door handles were added for a 3 year newer look. Once the body was in shape and fit the chassis, Dave took control and sprayed a mixture of black and red oxide epoxy primer. Lighting is provided by stock Model A headlights on a dropped bar and `48 Ford taillights. A LeBaron-Bonney top kit caps it all.
Interior
A set of vintage theater seats dominates the interior and is the thing most people leave talking about. Airplane seatbelts from a US military surplus store keep Jon buckled in. The stock dash was replaced with a Brookville '32-style Model A dash with a So-Cal Fender Pearl insert filled with Mooneyes gauges and a '37 Ford radio face. A `40 Ford column was used with a LeCarra Mark `40 wheel. The Gennie Shifter stick is capped with a bullet shell knob. The old Steward Warner gas heater has been gutted and is now home to a set of Infinity 31/2-inch speakers working with a Pioneer head unit mounted behind the seats along with a pair of Alpine 5x7 speakers.